It’s been all go in the world of headphones and earbuds in the first six months of 2026. In fact, we’ve put live no fewer than 70 audio-product reviews in the first half of the year.
In the ever-evolving wireless headphones space, the predicted uptick in open-ear designs (a 400% surge in releases of the design was cited late last year) and also wired options (the digital detox trend continues apace) means I had a lot to pick from for this little roundup.
Because of this, I’ve chosen to up my usual ‘5 best’ to ‘8 best’ in the headphone space, and give you a 50/50 split of the best headphones and earbuds we’ve tested so far this calendar year. You’ll also see there’s a wired option in this main list, as well as a couple of open-fit earbuds. We are nothing if not trend-setters here at TechRadar HQ.
I’ll kick off with earbuds and move onto headphones — and within each grouping, I’ll organize by release date, so starting with the January release of the ground-breaking Shokz OpenFit Pro, moving on to the February-issue Huawei Freebuds Pro 5 and so on.
Because even eight spots isn’t enough to cover all bases, I’ll also add a few honorable mentions at the end of this roundup. As I said, it’s already been a bumper year for headphones — and we’re still only half-way through it…
The 4 best earbuds of 2026, as tested by TechRadar
1. Shokz Openfit Pro
- Release date: January 6, 2026
- Rating: 4.5 / 5
Finally, a set of open earbuds that sound like you’re not wearing open earbuds! In the end, I didn’t review the Shokz Openfit Pro because I had to have shoulder surgery — although I did do an early hands-on in which I said how impressed I was with these excellent buds. The writer who did review them is a very active man and, as you’ll see if you click through, he put them through their paces for a whole range of sporting activities.
And this is honestly the Openfit Pro’s greatest strength. Fans of sports-specific open earbuds and bone-conduction solutions will likely be well versed in Shokz products, but the OpenFit Pro are the first ever Shokz earbuds to feature a “synchronized dual-diaphragm driver and noise reduction”. And by ‘noise reduction’, you absolutely must think ‘active noise cancellation, but for an open-ear design’.
And I think (apart from perhaps last year’s Honor Earbuds Open, which aren’t especially geared for sports use) it’s the first time ANC in an open design has been done really well.
Shokz would point you towards its unique new “aerospace-grade aluminum PMI dome cap” on the driver housing as one of the biggest design features. What it means is that there’s a little ‘nub’ on the earpiece now, and it is a very good thing from a design perspective as well as sonically. It slips happily under the cimba concha (one of the inner folds of the outer ear — you’d get it if you tried them) to make them secure for a range of sports. And did I mention the sound? Oh, it’s aces.
Read our in-depth Shokz Openfit Pro review
2. Sennheiser CX 80U
- Release date: Janauary 27, 2026
- Rating: 4.5 / 5
Isn’t it refreshing to see something priced at $39.95 / £34.99 (about AU$55) making a ‘best of 2026’ roundup? And from a trusted name such as Sennheiser too?
For that nominal fee — as my colleague Harry said in his thorough review — “these wired buds offer responsive, clean bass that grabs your attention without spoiling the party for sounds in the mid and treble ranges.”
They’re not winning any design originality awards, but the CX 80U do feel very pleasant in the ear, even for multi-hour listening sessions (some of us struggle with sleep sometimes OK?) and none of the team ever experienced discomfort or irritation. You also get small, medium and large ear tips included in the box, helping you to find your perfect fit.
There’s also an in-line controller, which is neither too close to the face nor too far down, and because it’s attached to the right bud, you’ll always know which side is which in a hurry.
All in all, a bargain proposition if you’re embracing the wired trend this year — and if you are on that particular train, you should know it leads on past this to Audiophile Town. On this journey, I support you!
Read our in-depth Sennheiser CX 80U review
3. Huawei Freebuds Pro 5
- Release date: February 26, 2026
- Rating: 5 / 5
I see a lot of earbuds with AirPods Pro looks (although it has to be said, not as many as perhaps two years ago) all vying for a slice of the AirPods’ healthy sales figures. So, for me to agree that a set of earbuds classes as a “serious AirPods Pro rival” is no small statement. And the Huawei Freebuds Pro 5 are those earbuds.
For everyday listening, the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 are the best earbuds you can get without spending significantly more. They score highly across the board, and make a compelling case that there’s life beyond Apple‘s ice-white offering — even for those who have been reluctant to shop around.
This is, as the name suggests, the fifth generation of Huawei’s FreeBuds Pro line, which has been knocking on the door patiently since 2020, waiting for people to notice them — and to be fair, we’ve always rated them rather well. The FreeBuds Pro 4 landed in November 2024 and scored four stars, i.e., strong, but not quite there. What you need to know is that the Pro 5 are a wholly different beast; good enough to go head-to-head with the best at this level, including the September 2025-issue Apple AirPods Pro 3.
The FreeBuds Pro 5 look and feel more premium than their price suggests. They’re smaller and lighter than the Pro 4 at 5.5g per bud, which is noticeable. Build quality is excellent, the stems have a high-shine finish and the case has a satiny coating that feels upscale. And the sound and feature-set? It’s incredibly good sound-per-pound value at this level. Highly recommended.
Read our in-depth Huawei Freebuds Pro 5 review
4. Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro
- Release date: May 21, 2026
- Rating: 4.5 / 5
Well well well… another fifth-generation set of earbuds finally breaking through the congested roster of 2026 releases to make this Best in Show list!
Anker‘s Soundcore sub-brand doesn’t necessarily have a reputation for releasing the absolute best earbuds; we gave the Soundcore Liberty 5 (yes, take care, because those aren’t these — neither is this the 5 Pro Max, which you should swerve in favor of this product, the 5 Pro) a 3.5-star score, and that tended to be par for the course. Until now.
The May-issue Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro brought a change to the brand: it really feels like the firm is coming into its own as a sound specialist, and it knows what buyers really want.
The fit here is fantastic, and while you might think we’ve been swayed by the fancy touchscreen case, actually no. It’s fine, but what is fantastic is the companion app you get with your purchase: it’ll boggle your mind given how many tools it offers. And all of the perks are useful too — the ANC is very good, the listening test is handy, and the array of array of little extras is truly impressive for the money.
Read our in-depth Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro review
The 4 best headphones of 2026, as tested by TechRadar
1. Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000
- Release date: October 31, 2025 (but we got them to test in March ’26)
- Rating: 5 / 5
You wanted the best, and these are the best. Nobody said ‘best’ meant ‘affordable’ though, so here we are. The eagle-eyed may note that these wired over-ears launched in late 2025, but owing to the very few review samples circulating (see my first point about this being an elite set of headphones), we only got our mitts on them in early 2026; and hang it all, it’s my list and I need you to know about them.
If the price tag doesn’t make you recoil, you’ve got a decent amp to drive them and you accept that they’re an open-back design (so you wouldn’t want to wear them on a packed commuter train or a long-haul flight in coach, say — although I’d wager owners of these cans will fly Business at least), the Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000 headphones are an exceptional audio investment.
Think beautifully precise and engaging audio, plus exhilarating low-end performance — and they’re very comfortable too. Okay, yes, for $3,499 / £3,000 / AU$4,999 you might expect comfort, but it isn’t always a given, even at this level. Give them the right source material and amplification, and these exceptional headphones will reward you no end.
Read our in-depth Audio-Technica ATH-ADX7000 review
2. Nothing Headphone (a)
- Release date: March 13, 2026
- Rating: 4.5 / 5
Now this is how you do a follow-up set of cans. Regular readers might remember the rather extravagantly priced Nothing Headphone (1) which, well, got 3.5 stars shortly after their release owing to a congested, slightly disorganized and compressed sound. These are not those.
This March-release set — from Nothing’s mid-range ‘(a)’ series, although I know it’s a confusing naming structure — sound better and do more, but weigh, and cost, less.
The clamping force is still relatively strong, but I personally love the design, including a round multi-function custom button on the top of the right ear cup that can trigger your voice assistant by default, summon EQ control, be a mic mute, or work as a camera remote trigger — a new feature for this model, and one much pricier models (including the AirPods Max 2) have also implemented.
I don’t want to appear smug, but I did predict last year that while Nothing hadn’t aced it with the Headphone (1), the company took three goes to nail decent earbuds, and I was sure the next set of cans released by the quirky firm would fix all the issues of the inaugural set. And here we are: the Nothing Headphone (a) are some of the best new cans at their level.
Read our in-depth Nothing Headphone (a) review
3. Apple AirPods Max 2
- Release date: March 16, 2026
- Rating: 4.5 / 5
So, Nothing’s cans sat at the top of the pile for precisely… three days. Yep. The ever-evolving world of wireless ANC headphones can be brutal, and only three days after Nothing’s affordable and delightfully different-looking headphones started snatching up column inches, Apple‘s second-generation flagship headphones landed, looking every bit the same as the first pair. And they still came out on top. Harsh, but fair…
I haven’t always been an Apple headphone cheerleader. So you might think, given the complete lack of design overhaul, I’d be a little disappointed in the newest AirPods Max 2. But put them on your head, deploy the ANC and get them playing music and it becomes impossible to dislike them. The new H2 chip in each ear cup, combined with a new amplification module, is truly game-changing.
Yes, you can use the Digital Crown as a remote and yes, you can now do gestural controls, use Live Translation, or speak to someone and the headphones now adjust playback so you can chat happily, but none of these upgrades is what clinches the deal for me. What does? The noise cancellation is 1.5 times better, and if you’ve ever heard the first set, you’ll know how remarkable an uptick in performance that is. Also, the sound is punchier and crisper, with greater dynamic nuance and insight.
The one fly in the ointment (and the reason I couldn’t give them the full five-star score) is the battery life, at only 20 hours. But I’ll take a hit on stamina when the bubble-of-silence ANC is this good.
Read my in-depth Apple AirPods Max 2 review
4. Marshall Milton ANC
- Release date: May 19, 2026
- Rating: 4.5 / 5
A set of wireless on-ears in a 2026 ‘best of’ roundup? How novel! And it’s not just because of Marshall’s continued commitment to rockstar, old guitar amp chic — although that customizable gold ‘M button’ on the corner of one ear cup is a beauty.
They’re comfortable and you get a whopping 80 hours of playtime with ANC off, and a still-great 50 hours with noise cancelling active. But their magic is in what they combine: the Marshall Milton ANC effectively fuse everything we loved about the company’s Major and Monitor models. They combine the iconic on-ear look of Marshall’s most popular headphones with the noise-cancelling capabilities and rich feature-set of their pricier over-ears, and all for an official price of $229 / £179 / AU$329.
And come on, they look much pricier than that! Marshall’s Soundstage mode also makes a welcome return here, a profile intended to “make your sound more spacious”. It works nicely here, even in an on-ear design. OK, the effects aren’t as drastic as you’ll get from some headphones’ spatial audio options, but you can adjust the metaphorical ‘room size’ and ‘amount’ that you’d like to get with your spatial sound. Top tip: a medium room at 80% was the sweet spot for my colleague Harry (and I happen to agree).
Read our in-depth Marshall Milton ANC review
Honorable mentions
The best of the rest
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We’ve tested swathes of headphones and earbuds since the outset of 2026, and I cannot list all of them here, although you can go to my friendly audio reviews corner of TechRadar for a full list of everything that’s been through the full 12 rounds with us recently (and in chronological order).
The three products I’m shining a light on here are headphones that also gained 4.5-stars following our thorough review process (not everything gets this rating, believe me) but that didn’t quite make the list.
First up is the wired Meze Audio Strada, which landed on January 21, 2026. These are closed-back headphones (great for listening with people around you) that manage to sound admirably un-closed, and deliver an awful lot that will appeal to the well-off and larger-headed listener. Ah, there’s the rub! While I adore the soundstage (not to mention the Macassar hardwood ear cups and Magnesium frame), I do not own a particularly large noggin and I struggled to achieve a fit that didn’t fall backwards to the nape of my neck. Still, a lovely listen for the larger-headed audiophile.
Next, cast your eye in the gallery above to the mid-March arrival of the JBL Live 780NC. I’ve got no issue with the fit here, and the sound is great for the money, as is the feature set and very generous 80-hour battery. It’s a little disappointing that you don’t get a charging cable in the box though, and if we’re being truly nitpicky (and it is our job to do so) the bass here can be a little overpowering for the audiophiles among us. That said, if you love the Harman curve (and plenty of consumers do, it has been proven!) they’ll likely suit you just fine.
Lastly in this little trio, I’d like to draw your attention to the Grado Signature S750. They are another wired offering, this time open-backed, that actually landed towards the end of 2025 but, owing to their $1,695 / £1,695 (about AU$3,400) price tag, we wanted to take plenty of time over. We published our review in early 2026 — and I still want you to know about them. Things we loved? The exceptionally wide soundstage with excellent positioning and pinpoint clarity. The only issue? Despite the claim of 50% more padding than earlier models, Grado’s design language might best be described as brutalist. I love how they look, but they’re still quite hefty and after longer listening sessions, you do start to feel that weight across your crown…
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becky.scarrott@futurenet.com (Becky Scarrott)
